Accompanied by an exceptionally shrill scream, the Stone Statue Ghost swooped down, its iron hook-like claws grabbing Sir Burnley’s shoulders, lifting his rotund body into the air. At first, the industrialist didn’t react, flailing his hands and feet in panic, wanting to scream; but when he saw his situation clearly, his face turned pale with fright, unable to move.
Everyone looked up, though inwardly disdainful, knowing that if they were in the same position, they wouldn’t fare any better.
Brand held his sword with one hand, standing alone before the army. Without turning his head, he made a gesture forward, "Stone Statue Ghost, Uom! (Witch Language: Come back!)"
When he turned around, it was as if the tide had receded; under his gaze, hundreds of people retreated a step in unison. As the noble private soldiers retreated, behind them stood Char, held at spearpoint.
"Don’t move, I surrender!" The young Wizard Follower, seeing this, raised his hands without hesitation, indicating that he had no intention of resisting.
"I say, couldn’t this guy have a bit of backbone?" Brand couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. But Char, as if not seeing this, winked at him, meaning: Now it’s up to you, my Lord. I’ve done my part. Brand was almost infuriated to death.
At this moment, the White Mane Riders were entering. They formed a semi-circle behind Brand, seemingly intending to take control of the chaotic scene from the noble private soldiers.
In the distance, Lord Jin Guo, seeing this, couldn’t help but want to curse loudly. On one hand, he had lost Makalu, on the other, Sir Burnley, who was always advising him, was now suspended in mid-air, and his other captain, Glanson, was attacking the castle. He had almost no useful men left besides a group of ragtag followers.
He endured and rode up alone. In fact, he was forcing himself to calm down, cold sweat dripping from his back. He almost thought the charge of the Stone Statue Ghost was aimed at himself. But what was that young man doing with Burnley?
With questions in his heart, Lord Jin Guo entered the semi-circle, standing opposite Luc Besson with a group of noble gentry. Neither side spoke much—there was nothing to discuss. The conflict between the Golan-Elson noble gentry and the local legions was long-standing, not requiring any surface pleasantries.
The ’tiger’ Luc Besson looked like a javelin on horseback. This dark-skinned soldier glanced at the noble gentry led by Lord Jin Guo and sneered disdainfully. Though part of the White Mane Legion, his heart belonged to the Royalist Restoration Party, looking down on both sides. Naturally, he wouldn’t stoop to the level of those he considered shortsighted.
Instead, his gaze fell on Brand, who remained calm before the army, this young man who had repelled four of his captains with one sword strike. This truly piqued his interest. But what surprised him was that the young man’s eyes also fell on him.
Luc Besson frowned but quickly calmed down. "Young man, I’ll give you a chance to put down poor Sir Burnley. You’ve seen, your companion is in our hands as well." As he spoke, he took over the overall command from Lord Jin Guo.
At the sound of this voice, Brand recognized him as the ’tiger’ Luc Besson. Before the first Black Rose War, he had heard him speak a few times at a distance while on honor duty at Ridenburg Fortress.
’Tiger’ Luc Besson, an Upper Silver Knight, one of the notable talents in all of Erune.
Facing such a master, Brand dared not be careless. He took a light breath to relax and turned his thoughts quickly. He glanced at Lord Jin Guo, then at Luc Besson, knowing that his slim chance of survival lay in the friction between them.
This confrontation was not coincidental.
In Ridenburg, the conflict between the local Noble Council and the local legions was like most of the long-standing tensions in this ancient country. It stemmed from Erune’s unique political system. Originating from the fragmented Grus Empire, Erune’s law was derived from the Black Imperial Code. After long periods of the Lord Wars, to avoid history repeating itself, the kingdom’s fourth monarch, An Yin I, reestablished a system where the Royal Family controlled the army, with the local civil and military administrations separately governed.